Covid-19 in China: questions and speculation around the death of several celebrities
Masked passengers in the Beijing subway, December 19, 2022 (illustrative image).
© NOEL CELIS / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
China abandoned its strict "zero Covid-19" policy in December 2022 and saw a rapid increase in infections and deaths.
According to some reports, hospitals and crematoriums are overwhelmed.
Several celebrity deaths have sparked speculation online.
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China has stopped releasing daily data on Covid-19 cases and has only announced 22 deaths from the virus since December, all using its own very strict criteria.
Now only people who died of respiratory diseases such as pneumonia are counted.
WHO Emergency Director Mike Ryan said China's figures “
underrepresent hospital admissions, intensive care patients and deaths;
that Beijing's definition of Covid-19 deaths was too narrow
.
»
Shocking Deaths
Several celebrities have died in recent weeks, including Chu Lanlan, a 40-year-old opera singer, which shocked many, given her young age.
The cause of death has not been disclosed.
Also between December 21 and 26, sixteen renowned scientists died.
No sign of the virus in obituaries, leaving netizens to speculate that some may have died of bad flu.
The general skepticism does not escape the Chinese authorities, who continue - despite everything - to minimize the wave of Covid-19 which is spreading throughout the country.
►Also read
: Covid-19: WHO denounces Chinese data, EU recommends imposing tests
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